Apples are one of the most commonly consumed fruits and their high polyphenol content is considered one of the most important determinants of their health-promoting activities. Here we studied the nutrikinetics of apple polyphenols by UHPLC-HRMS metabolite fingerprinting, comparing bioavailability when consumed in a natural or a polyphenol-enriched cloudy apple juice. Twelve men and women participated in an acute single blind controlled crossover study in which they consumed 250 mL of cloudy apple juice (CAJ), Crispy Pink apple variety, or 250 mL of the same juice enriched with 750 mg of an apple polyphenol extract (PAJ). Plasma and whole blood were collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3 and 5 h. Urine was collected at time 0 and 0–2, 2–5, 5–8, and 8–24 h after juice consumption. Faecal samples were collected from each individual during the study for 16S rRNA gene profiling. As many as 110 metabolites were significantly elevated following intake of polyphenol enriched cloudy apple juice, with large inter-individual variations. The comparison of the average area under the curve of circulating metabolites in plasma and in urine of volunteers consuming either the CAJ or the PAJ demonstrated a stable metabotype, suggesting that an increase in polyphenol concentration in fruit does not limit their bioavailability upon ingestion.

Faecal bacteria were correlated with specific microbial catabolites derived from apple polyphenols. Human metabolism of apple polyphenols is a co-metabolic process between human encoded activities and those of our resident microbiota. Here we have identified specific blood and urine metabolic biomarkers of apple polyphenol intake and identified putative associations with specific genera of faecal bacteria, associations which now need confirmation in specifically designed mechanistic studies.

苹果是最常用的水果之一，其多酚含量高被认为是促进健康的最重要决定因素之一。在这里，我们通过UHPLC-HRMS代谢物指纹图研究了苹果多酚的营养素，比较了在天然或富含多酚的混浊苹果汁中食用时的生物利用度。十二名男女参加了一项急性单盲对照交叉研究，他们食用了250毫升的混浊苹果汁（CAJ），脆皮粉红苹果品种或250毫升的同一种汁液，其中富含750毫克的苹果多酚提取物（PAJ） ）。在0、1、2、3和5小时的时间收集血浆和全血。饮用果汁后的0和0-2、2-5、5-8和8-24小时的时间收集尿液。在研究期间从每个人收集粪便样品以进行16S rRNA基因分析。摄入富含多酚的混浊苹果汁后，多达110种代谢物显着升高，个体间差异很大。食用CAJ或PAJ的志愿者血浆和尿液中循环代谢物曲线下平均面积的比较显示出稳定的代谢型，这表明水果中多酚浓度的增加并不限制其摄入后的生物利用度。

粪便细菌与苹果多酚衍生的特定微生物分解代谢产物相关。苹果多酚的人类代谢是人类编码的活动与我们居住的微生物群的活动之间的代谢过程。在这里，我们确定了苹果多酚摄入量的特定血液和尿液代谢生物标志物，并确定了与粪便细菌特定属的推定关联，这些关联现在需要在专门设计的机理研究中得到证实。